Sharif Sharīf or Sherif (, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the fami ...

Ali bin al-Hussein (; 1956 – 14 March 2022) was the leader of the

Iraqi Constitutional Monarchy The Iraqi Constitutional Monarchy (ICM) is a monarchist political party in Iraq formerly led by the late Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein. Al-Hussein was related to the Hashemite royal family which ruled Iraq until 1958. He had succeeded in establishi ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

and claimed to be the legitimate heir to the position of King of Iraq, based on his relationship to the last monarch, the late King Faisal II.

Early life

After the loss of

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, Sharif Ali's parents settled in Iraq where his mother's

Badiya ''Badiya'' () is an upcoming open world survival video game title developed by Saudi Arabian developer Semaphore. The title refers to two different games with the same settings and content. The first game, entitled ''Badiya: Desert Survival'', ...

sister,

Aliya bint Ali Aliya bint Ali of Hejaz (, "''noble born''"; 19 January 1911 – 21 December 1950), was an Arabian princess and a queen consort of Iraq. She was the spouse and first cousin of King Ghazi of Iraq and the queen mother of King Faisal II of Iraq. Sh ...

, was

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

. He was born in Iraq and his maternal first cousin was

Faisal II of Iraq Faisal II (; 2 May 1935 – 14 July 1958) was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the 14 July Revolution. This regicide marked the end of the thirty-seven-year-old Hashemite monarchy in ...

, the last king of Iraq, his maternal grandfather was Ali bin Hussein, last King of Hejaz, and his paternal grandfather was the uncle of both

Faisal I of Iraq Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi (, ''Fayṣal al-Awwal bin Ḥusayn bin ʻAlī al-Hāshimī''; 20 May 1885 – 8 September 1933) was King of Iraq from 23 August 1921 until his death in 1933. A member of the Hashemites, Hashemite family, ...

and Ali bin Hussein.

'Abd al-Ilah Abd al-Ilah of Hejaz () (; also written Abdul Ilah or Abdullah; 14 November 1913 – 14 July 1958) was a cousin and brother-in-law of Ghazi of Iraq, King Ghazi of the Kingdom of Iraq, Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and was regent for his nephew Fai ...

was his uncle. On 14 July 1958, when Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim took control of the Kingdom of Iraq by a ''

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

'', the royal family was ordered to leave the palace in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

King Faisal II Faisal II (; 2 May 1935 – 14 July 1958) was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the 14 July Revolution. This regicide marked the end of the thirty-seven-year-old Hashemite monarchy ...

; Crown Prince

;

Princess Hiyam Princess Hiyam (1933–1999) was the Iraqi Crown Princess through marriage to Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah. She was the aunt by marriage to King Faisal II of Iraq. She survived the massacre of the royal family during the 14 July Revolution. She was ...

, Abdul Ilah's wife; Princess Nafissa, Abdul Ilah's mother; Princess Abdiya, the king's maternal aunt; and several servants. When they all arrived in the courtyard, they were told to turn towards the palace wall, and they were all shot down by Captain Abdus Sattar As Sab’, a member of the coup led by Colonel

Abd al-Karim Qasim Abdul-Karim Qasim Muhammad Bakr al-Fadhli Al-Qaraghuli al-Zubaidi ( ' ; 21 November 1914 – 9 February 1963) was an Iraqi military officer and statesman who served as the Prime Minister and de facto leader of Iraq from 1958 until his ...

Nuri as-Said Nuri Pasha al-Said Al-Qaraghuli CH (; December 1888 – 15 July 1958) was an Iraqi politician and statesman who served eight terms as Prime Minister of Iraq. He served in various key cabinet and governmental positions in Iraq during its Briti ...

, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Iraq, was killed by supporters of Colonel

on 15 July 1958. Ali bin al-Hussein's mother Princess Badia (1920-2020), her husband Sharif al-Hussein bin Ali, and their three children spent a month in the

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a Sovereign state, state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

in Baghdad. The coup leaders insisted that they leave Iraq and travel to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

on ordinary

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

s. They lived for a while in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and finally in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where Ali bin al-Hussein built up a successful career in

investment banking Investment banking is an advisory-based financial service for institutional investors, corporations, governments, and similar clients. Traditionally associated with corporate finance, such a bank might assist in raising financial capital by und ...

Education

Ali bin al-Hussein earned his high school diploma from

Brummana High School Brummana High School (BHS, ) is a private school in Lebanon. It is located in the village of Brummana, situated in Metn, Mount Lebanon, east of the capital city Beirut. This school was established in 1873, by the Quaker Theophilus Waldmeier ( ...

, a BA in

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

from the Trent Polytechnic Nottingham, and an MA in

from the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, it is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. The university comprises three camp ...

Political movement

Ali bin Al-Hussein remained an opponent of the rule of Iraqi dictator

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

. In 1991, he quit his job managing investment funds and became a member of the

Iraqi National Congress The Iraqi National Congress (INC; ) is an Iraqi political party that was led by Ahmed Chalabi who died in 2015. It was formed as an umbrella opposition group of majority Feyli Kurds and shia Arabs, with the aid of the United States' governme ...

, which had the purpose of fomenting the overthrow of Hussein. On 28 October 2003, representing the Iraqi National Conference Bloc, Sharif Ali Bin al-Hussein met

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

's Foreign Minister

Farouk al-Sharaa Farouk al-Sharaa (born 10 December 1938) is a Syrian politician and diplomat. He was one of the most prominent officials in the Ba'athist Syria#Politics and government, government of Ba'athist Syria and served as foreign minister from 1984 to 20 ...

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

. They agreed on viewpoints that included ending the occupation and forming an Iraqi government in a way that both satisfied the Iraqi people's aspirations and maintained Iraqi unity. He had close ties to the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...

countries.

Death

Sharif Ali died in Amman, Jordan on 14 March 2022, at the age of 65. He is survived by his son Faisal.

Awards

* He was awarded the Royal Order of the Drum by the late Kigeli V, the former

King of Rwanda King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by fi ...

, for his goal of establishing a way out of Iraq's political crisis and of ending the tragic ordeal of a people who lived under terror and tyranny.

Quotes

* "It would have been the perfect transition from dictatorship to democracy," he said. "It would have been a way to unite the country around a figure whose history transcended sect and ethnicity." In 2003, Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein said, he pressed American officials to bring him in as soon as Saddam Hussein fell. * "I don't believe there is a military solution right now in Iraq for either side, for the Americans or the insurgents," he said. "We must start with negotiations." *"There is no risk of a breakup of Iraq. There is no risk of a civil war."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali Bin al-Hussein, Sharif 1956 births 2022 deaths Brummana High School alumni Alumni of the University of Nottingham Iraqi dissidents Iraqi monarchists Iraqi Arab nationalists Pretenders Princes of Iraq Alumni of the University of Essex People from Baghdad